July 12, 2016

Are you almost certain you saw something on the Dewey blog that would help you with the resource you’re trying to classify, but you’re not sure where to find it now? How can you search the Dewey blog to retrieve something that was posted there in the past?

Several ways of searching the Dewey blog are available:

Search by date

Search by category

Search by keyword

The sidebar on the left facilitates access to archived posts (i.e., entries posted prior to the current month) by date. While only the last ten months are listed in the sidebar, clicking ARCHIVES will give you access by month all the way back to the beginning of (Dewey blog) time, that is, June 2005. Clicking the name of a month then returns all the posts from that month. Search by date thus supports comprehensive access to everything ever posted on the Dewey blog, but, frankly, the occasions on which searching by date is efficient will be few and far between.

But what about keyword search? In the past, you had only one option—use an external search engine (e.g., Google) for a keyword search of the Dewey blog. For example, searching site:ddc.typepad.com "big data" in Google will return links to the Dewey blog posts on big data and NoSQL databases mentioned above, as well as to a post on 3D printing.

You can now also enter your keyword search in the Google search box at the top of the sidebar on the left of the Dewey blog home page. Entering “big data” (as a phrase search) in the search box will return a few ads and links to the three blog posts mentioned above.

Because searches on Google incorporate automatic stemming, entering cook in the search box will return posts using various forms of the word, e.g., cook, cooks, cooking, cooker; if you really want to search for just cook, enter it as a phrase search: “cook”.

Note that automatic stemming is restricted to word forms and does not extend to searching on DDC notation. Searches like the following will work:

T1--01

333.7-333.9

641.5

But a search on 641.5 will not retrieve a post containing 641.568 unless the post also contains 641.5 (which happens to be the case when 641.568 appears as 641.5/68).

For all practical intents, you can now perform the same searches and retrieve the same output by doing a Google search inside the Dewey blog as by searching Google independently of the blog. How cool is that?

February 12, 2016

In a December blog posting, I expressed surprise that the longest DDC Edition 23 numbers I could locate in our database or in WorldCat that are palindromes—the numbers read the same forwards or backwards—were "only" 7 digits long. We declared a contest to see who could find the longest valid DDC number that is a palindrome.

Your responses have delighted. I knew there had to be Dewey palindromes longer than 7 digits. You have found much longer Dewey palindromes than that.

You will note that, in general, the longer the number is, the less likely that literature on the subject actually exists.

Here are the longer palindromes that you have identified and have shared with us. Below each number you will find where any add instruction used in building the number is found. We have not mentioned anything in connection with adding standard subdivision notation or in connection with adding Table 2 notation to T1—09—until we get to the final number.

Contributed by Mark Behrens, Library of Congress (12 digits):

DDC number

Meaning

330.977779033

Economic conditions of Taylor County, Iowa, in the 20th century

=

330.9

Economic situation and conditions

+

T2—77779

Taylor County, Iowa

+

(977.7)033

[Iowa] 1945–1999 ("Class here 20th century")

Add instruction found at 330.93–330.99.

Contributed by Andrew Gloe, National Library of Australia (12 digits):

Directories of persons and organizations holding bank deposits in the central region of Alberta

=

332.1752

[Bank] Deposits

+

T1—025

Directories of persons and organizations

+

T2—71233

Central region of Alberta

Add instruction found at T1—025.

DDC number

Meaning

304.87494049478403

Encyclopedia of migration to east central counties of New Jersey from Bellinzona district, Switzerland

=

304.8

Movement of people

+

T2—7494

East central counties of New Jersey

+

0

(Facet indicator)

T2—494784

Bellinzona district (Bellinzona Distretto), Switzerland

+

T1—03

Dictionaries, encyclopedias, concordances

Add instruction found at 304.83–304.89.

DDC number

Meaning

338.470274472074833

Museums located in the central regions of Chile that focus on the economics of public libraries in the western parts of Russia

=

338.47

[Production [Secondary industries and services]] Subdivisions for products and services

+

027.4

Public libraries

T2—472

Western area of Russia

T1—074

Museums, collections, exhibits

T2—833

[Chile] Central regions

Add instructions found at 338.47001-338.47999, at 027.43–027.49 and at T1--074.

DDC number

Meaning

331.890410263362014098133

In Paraíba state, Brazil: labor-management bargaining and disputes in libraries devoted to local taxes

=

331.89041

Labor-management bargaining and disputes in industries and occupations other than extractive, manufacturing, construction

+

026

Libraries and archives devoted to specific subjects

+

336.2014

Local taxes

+

T1—09

Specific continents, countries, localities

T2—8133

Paraíba state, Brazil

Add instructions found at 331.89041001-331.89041999 and at 026.001–026.999.

This last number—331.890410263362014098133—is remarkable for several reasons. There are, of course, the length of the number, the number of components going into the number, and its being a palindrome to boot. But I would also like to remark upon the meaning of the number and the addition of the standard subdivision. Those of you who check out the number-building process will likely notice that the span 336.2014093–336.2014099 has been bracketed and may think that it is not possible to add T1--093–T1-099 after having added 336.2014. The reason that it is valid is that the standard subdivision does not apply to the last component added, but to the whole of the number. This is set forth in section 8.11 of the Introduction, where it states: "Special care should be taken in adding standard subdivisions to built numbers, since the standard subdivision applies to the whole number and not just to part of the number." Therefore, the specification of the locality Paraíba state, Brazil pertains to the whole of labor-management bargaining and disputes in libraries devoted to local taxes and not to the local taxes themselves. It is the specification of continent, country, or locality for local taxes that has been bracketed.

The gold medal goes to Tore Brattli, University of Tromsø, who has unequivocally established himself as the grand winner of the 2016 Dewey palindrome challenge. Dr. Christian Baumann, German National Library, has earned the silver medal, while the bronze medal is awarded jointly to Andrew Gloe, National Library of Australia, and Mark Behrens, Library of Congress. Congratulations, all!

December 04, 2015

If a modern-day Rip Van Winkle were to emerge after a slumber of twenty-years, he would surely find much to be surprised by: trainloads of commuters with faces glued to devices with screens, or people walking down the street having earnest conversations with is-it-themselves-or-is-it-imaginary-people? The vocabulary wouldn’t be any more familiar: smartphones, swiping, selfies, instant messaging, blogs, wikis, VoIP, text messages, hashtags, tweets, cyberbullying, binge-watching, podcasts, webinars, and on and on.

Keeping the DDC current with respect to digital media isn’t made any easier by the number of contexts in which the topic is treated, including the following:

Recent updates to the DDC with respect to digital media have focused on the development under 302.231 Digital media, the number for interdisciplinary works on digital media. One change was to expand for several types of digital media that had already been recognized in the 004–006 development: 302.2311 Electronic mail, 302.2312 Discussion groups, 302.2314 Blogs, and 302.2315 Wikis; a further expansion was made at 302.23445 Radiotelephony. A related change was to add other digital media topics to notes in existing classes. For example, podcasts, webcasts, and streaming media were all added to the class-here note at 302.234 Motion pictures, radio, television. A final change was to relocate digital versions of traditional media out of 302.231 to the numbers for the traditional media; for example, digital print media such as online newspapers or periodicals would now be classed in 302.232 Print media and its subdivisions rather than in 302.231 Digital media.

Developments in the various other contexts mentioned above have been examined and tweaked to make them consistent with the other changes mentioned. Consistency, however, does not necessarily mean sameness. For example, if there is insufficient literary warrant for an expansion in a particular context, a topic may be handled by being added in an including note to an existing class in an appropriate hierarchy. For instance, while expansions for wikis have been introduced at 006.753 and 302.2315, wikis has been added as a standing room topic in an including note at the newly expanded 384.38 Computer communications in multimedia systems.

Consistency is also provided through number building. An add instruction at 371.334 Computer science makes the development there parallel the development under 004–006. In similar fashion the development under 374.26 Use of mass media and computers has been made to parallel the development under 371.333–371.337, which incorporates the development under 371.334.

Internet telephony is both computer communications and telephone communications. Over recent years Internet telephony had been provided for with computer communications in some contexts (e.g., computer science), with telephone communications in other contexts (e.g., communications, engineering). Internet telephony will now be treated consistently under computer communications and has accordingly been relocated from 384.6 Communications / Telephony to 384.33 Communications / Computer communication / Activities and services and from 621.385 Telephony to 621.382 Communications engineering.

We illustrate some of these changes with works whose publication and classification predate the changes outlined above. For each such work, we give the Dewey number where it was appropriately classed before the changes, as well as the appropriate number after the changes.

August 26, 2015

We received an inquiry a while ago from our colleagues at the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (DNB), asking about the intended treatment for personal bibliographies for persons clearly associated with a specific subject—should they be classed in 016 with other bibliographies, or in 001–999 with the subject?

In considering the question, we realized that the table of preference at 012-017 did not give a clear answer. Yes, the table of preference lists 016 Bibliographies and catalogs of works on specific subjects above 012 Bibliographies and catalogs of individuals—but the instructions at 012 on classing biobibliographies muddy the waters. Consequently, a see reference has been added at 012 indicating that personal bibliographies of persons associated with a specific subject should be classed with the subject in 016 (that is, in 016, plus notation 001–999 to indicate the subject).

Given the complexity of the situation here—is the work being classified a personal bibliography or a biobibliography?; is the corresponding person associated with a subject?—a Manual note was added (1) to clarify the distinction between personal bibliographies and biobibliographies and (2) to give instructions for how to class personal bibliographies and biobibliographies, depending on whether the person involved is clearly associated with a subject. The text of the Manual note reads as follows:

012 vs. 016, 001-999

Personal bibliographies and biobibliographies

A personal bibliography is a bibliography of works by or about a person. A biobibliography is a bibliography of works by or about a person, combined with substantial biographical material about the person.

Use 012 for both personal bibliographies and biobibliographies of people who are not clearly associated with a specific subject. Use 016 plus notation 001-999 for personal bibliographies of people associated with a specific subject, e.g., a personal bibliography of a psychologist 016.15. Use 001-999 plus notation T1—092 from Table 1 for biobibliographies of people associated with a specific subject, e.g., a biobibliography of a psychologist 150.92.

Add notation T1—092 from Table 1 if a personal bibliography includes annotated bibliographic entries of works by the person and the annotations constitute description and critical appraisal of the person’s work, e.g., an annotated personal bibliography of a psychologist 016.15092.

Thus, both a personal bibliography and a biobibliography are bibliographies of works by or about a person, but the biobibliography also includes “substantial biographical material.” Both personal bibliographies and biobibliographies of persons who are not clearly associated with a specific subject are classed in the same number, 012 Bibliographies and catalogs of individuals. Treatment of personal bibliographies and biobibliographies differs, however, if the person involved is clearly associated with a subject: personal bibliographies are classed in 016 Bibliographies and catalogs of works on specific subjects, plus notation 001–999 for the subject, while biobibliographies are classed in the number for the subject, plus notation T1—092 Biography. That is, the essential characteristic of personal bibliographies is that they are bibliographies; the essential characteristic of biobibliographies is that they are biographies.

Several examples should seal the deal.

Our first example is Paul Simon: a bio-bibliography. The work includes a brief biography of this 20th-century American singer and songwriter, followed by an extensive general bibliography, a discography, a composition list, various indexes, etc. We therefore class the work, as accurately reflected by its subtitle, as a biobibliography, that is, in the number for the subject with which Paul Simon is associated, plus notation T1—092. This gives us 782.42164092 Biography of Western popular songs (built from 782.42 Songs, plus notation 164 from 781.64 Western popular music, following the directions at 782.1–782.4, plus notation T1—092 Biography).

The second example is A Kafka bibliography, 1908-1976. Containing no substantial biographical material, the work is a personal bibliography. Kafka is known as an early 20th century German-language novelist. This work is then classed in 016.833912 Bibliographies of German fiction, 1900-1945 (built with 016 Bibliographies and catalogs of works on specific subjects, plus—following the instruction at 016 to add for the specific subject—notation 833 German fiction, plus notation 912, 1900-1945 from the period table under 831-838 Subdivisions for specific forms of German literature, following the instructions at Table 3A Subdivisions for Works by or about Individual Authors).

What if the person who is the focus of the biobibliography or personal bibliography is associated with more than one subject? Can he or she still be clearly associated with a specific subject? Yes, even though someone may be known for his or her work in several fields, that person may still be clearly associated with only one of those subjects. Such is the case with Winston Churchill, who was a military officer, a historian, and a writer (having won the Nobel Prize in literature), but who is best known as a statesman. With that background in mind, our third example is A bibliography of the works of Sir Winston Churchill. Inasmuch as the work includes no substantial biographical material, the work is classed as a personal bibliography in 016.941084 Bibliographies of history of Great Britain, 1936–1945 (built with 016 Bibliographies and catalogs of works on specific subjects, plus notation 941.084 History of Great Britain, 1936–1945, following the add instruction at 016). The time period 1936-1945 is chosen because Churchill’s prime ministership of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 represents the foremost of his many contributions to British history.

If someone known for work in several fields can still be clearly associated with a single field, when should 012 Bibliographies and catalogs of individuals be used? In theory, 012 is appropriate for use with a person who is not clearly associated with any field. But it is a tad difficult to imagine a personal bibliography or biobibliography being prepared for someone who is not associated with any field at all. This class would also be appropriate for someone associated with multiple fields to more-or-less the same extent. While this possibility is perhaps more easily imagined, in practice, we do not anticipate that 012 should get much use.

July 14, 2015

Today, July 14, 2015, at 07:49 EDT, New Horizons, NASA’s interplanetary space probe (629.4354922, built with 629.4354 Planetary flights, plus notation 922 from 523.4922 Pluto) passed within 8,000 miles of the surface of the dwarf planet Pluto (523.4922). NASA expects confirmation of the flyby and the spacecraft’s status at about 21:02 EDT tonight.

Launched in 2006, “New Horizons’ flyby of the dwarf planet and its five known moons is providing an up-close introduction to the solar system's Kuiper Belt, an outer region populated by icy objects ranging in size from boulders to dwarf planets. Kuiper Belt objects, such as Pluto, preserve evidence about the early formation of the solar system” (http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php?page=20150714-2).

Previous blogs (here, here, and here) have discussed the demotion of Pluto to a dwarf planet and the impact on the DDC schedule.

Two US state quarters (737.4973, built with 737.49 Coins of specific countries, plus notation T2—73 United States), one from Florida where New Horizons launched and the other from Maryland where it was built;

September 25, 2014

In the history of modern databases, relational database management systems (RDBMS)—typically including the use of SQL (Structured Query Language) for both data definition and data manipulation—have been pre-eminent. But in recent years, other mechanisms for storing and retrieving data have emerged that may be better adapted for scenarios involving, for example, unstructured data, distributed data, and/or big data.

A major subset of these emerging mechanisms are known as NoSQL databases. (For an introduction to these databases, see the article here.) Anything characterized by what it is not is often hard to pin down. The corresponding LCSH, "Non-relational databases," also fails to indicate the nature of these databases. Not surprisingly, NoSQL databases are not one thing, but take various forms, which are themselves known by a variety of names: key-value stores, document stores, XML databases, column store databases, column family stores, graph databases, triple stores, and so on.

Where then should literature on NoSQL databases be classed in the DDC? In considering this question, we took into account what the 2012 ACM Computing Classification System (ACM CCS) does with "Key-value stores," which are at the heart of the "structure" of NoSQL databases. The ACM CCS uses this hierarchy: Information systems / Data management systems / Database management system engines / Parallel and distributed DBMSs / Key-value stores. Similarly, in the DDC, we have decided that NoSQL databases are best classed in 005.758 Distributed data files and databases. To make that clear, the phrase "key-value stores" has been added to the class-here note at 005.758 and a large number of Relative Index terms for various forms of NoSQL databases now index that number.

Examples of works that should now be classed in 005.758 include the following:

But what about a work like Evaluation of relational database implementation of triple-stores, in which triple stores—now indexed to 005.758 Distributed data files and databases—are implemented as a relational database, which would normally be classed in 005.756 Relational databases? (A relational implementation of a non-relational database? How does that work? Well, NoSQL is also interpreted sometimes to mean Not Only SQL.) Here we are guided by the class-with-the-last instruction in the preference note under 004–006 Computer science; computer programming, programs, data; special computer methods: "Unless other instructions are given, class a subject with aspects in two or more subdivisions of 004–006 in the number coming last." Therefore, we would choose to class this work in 005.758 also.

August 12, 2014

What's big about big data? For over a decade, big data has been characterized in terms of 3 Vs: high volume, high velocity, and high variety. According to its Webopedia definition,

Big data is a buzzword, or catch-phrase, used to describe a massive volume of both structured and unstructured data that is so large that it's difficult to process using traditional database and software techniques. In most enterprise scenarios the data is too big or it moves too fast or it exceeds current processing capacity.

In other words, when we have data of high volume, at high velocity, and with high variety, we have the potential for big problems.

This doesn't mean that all works on big data are classed in 005.7 and its subdivisions. (Things are rarely that simple, are they?) At the centered entry for 004–006, we find the following preference note: "Unless other instructions are given, class a subject with aspects in two or more subdivisions of 004–006 in the number coming last." This means that a work treating two or more aspects of computer science, for example, big data (at 005.7) and data mining (at 006.312 Data mining), is classed in the later number, in this case, in 006.312. Such is the number assigned to Data mining and knowledge discovery for big data: methodologies, challenge and opportunities.

If big data were to come with the potential just for big problems, we would find ways to decrease the volume, velocity, or variety of the data we work with. But big data also has the potential for big value: "Big data is high volume, high velocity, and/or high variety information assets that . . . enable enhanced decision making, insight discovery and process optimization." We see this, for example, in Actionable intelligence: a guide to delivering business results with big data fast!, to which the Library of Congress subject headings, Decision making, Strategic planning, and Big data have been assigned. By the rule of application, such a work is classed in management and not in computer science. Specifically, this work has been classed in 658.4038028557 (built with 658.4038 Information management ["Class here gathering of information by management for use in managerial decision making; information resources, knowledge management"], plus notation T1—0285 Computer applications, plus notation 57 from 005.7Data in computer systems).

July 25, 2014

Sometimes it seems that every field wants its own informatics subfield. For example, in the health and medicine arena, you might come across health informatics, consumer health informatics, community health informatics, public health informatics, disease informatics, medical informatics, clinical Informatics, nursing informatics, dental informatics, translational bioinformatics, medical imaging informatics, and the list goes on. But it isn't only health and medicine that have gotten on the informatics bandwagon. You might also come across museum informatics, business informatics, cheminformatics, education informatics, environmental informatics, legal informatics, music informatics, and on and on.

Since it's so popular, it would be good to find out just exactly what informatics is. (Good luck with that endeavor!) But, of course, informatics isn't something that occurs in nature, whose nature can be discovered. Informatics is a label put on a set of perspectives, activities, phenomena etc., found useful in some context and varying across contexts. The range of activities/phenomena belonging under the informatics umbrella is quite broad, including, inter alia, clinical decision support systems, interoperable electronic health records, identifying a consensus classification of biological organisms, the simulation of neural systems of specific animals, virtual screening of large libraries of chemical compounds, magnetic resonance imaging, in-car navigation systems, case-based legal prediction, optical music recognition, etc. What all versions of informatics share is a focus on the interaction of information and computation.

In the DDC, informatics is mentioned in the schedules in two places: 004 Computer science (indexed by the Relative Index heading "Informatics—computer science") and 020 Library and information sciences (indexed by the Relative Index heading "Informatics—information science"). No interdisciplinary number for informatics has been identified, since works on informatics almost invariably treat the informatics of specific fields. The point of listing informatics in the class-here notes at 004 and 020 is to motivate the giving, at both locations, of the following scatterclass-elsewhere note: "Class informatics of a specific subject with the subject, plus notation T1—0285, e.g., bioinformatics 570.285."

Accordingly, we find the following titles on the informatics of specific subjects classed in the Dewey numbers indicated:

June 23, 2014

In a 2008 review article in the Communications of the ACM entitled "The Many Facets of Natural Computing" (vol. 51, no. 10, pp. 72-83; fuller version here), Lila Kari and Grzegorz Rozenberg characterize natural computing as “a highly interdisciplinary field that connects the natural sciences with computing science,” “the field of research that investigates models and computational techniques inspired by nature and . . . attempts to understand the world around us in terms of information processing.” Major strands of natural computing include (1) computational techniques that are inspired by natural phenomena, (2) computing paradigms implemented with natural materials, and (3) information processing that takes place in nature. The field has been developing and expanding for over 20 years; its literature is vast; and many dedicated conferences take place every year.

Although the DDC had not previously provided for natural computing as an integrated field of research, many of its topics had long been recognized, in many cases having been mapped to 006.3 Artificial intelligence or its subdivisions. While close ties exist between artificial intelligence and natural computing, neither is included within the other. Hence, with the expansion for natural computing at 006.38, the caption at 006.3 became Artificial intelligence and natural computing. An example of literature that should be classed at 006.38 Natural computing is Handbook of natural computing. (Because this expansion is recent, we cannot yet point to representative literature classed in all the new numbers; in some cases, we rely instead on clear cases of literature that would be classed in that number if they were being classified today.)

The development under 006.38 consists of two branches, 006.382 Nature-inspired models and techniques of computation and 006.384 Computing with natural materials, corresponding to the first two strands of natural computing noted above, respectively.

Examples of works (to be) classed in the first branch include the following:

The literature for the third strand of natural computing—information processing in nature—is more biologically-oriented than computationally- oriented. Accordingly, the class-here note at 570 Biology reads “Class here life sciences, information processing in nature.” A scatter-see reference there gives the following instructions to the classifier: “For information processing associated with a specific natural phenomenon, see the phenomenon, e.g., cellular computing 571.6, gene regulatory networks 572.865.” Therefore, The regulatory genome: gene regulatory networks in development and evolution is classed at 572.865 Gene expression (“Class here genetic regulation, regulation of gene expression”).

June 16, 2014

The agenda included proposals related to the display of history notes, as well as the display of period tables in the 890s, both driven by the user experience in WebDewey. Several proposals were approved to clarify actions already intended or allowed: (1) the use of T1—028 Auxiliary techniques and procedures; apparatus, equipment, materials to express 3D printing applications; (2) the interpretation of regional groups in Table 5 to mean regional groups viewed as a whole population, as if they were national groups; (3) the ability to add notation T1—0901–0905 Historical periodsto 930-990: 004 Ethnic and national groups, when appropriate; and (4) the classification of personal bibliographies for people associated with a subject in 016 Bibliographies and catalogs of works on specific subjects. Other proposals that were approved include updates to the classification in Table 2 for Peru and Greece; provision under 306.44 Language to add Table 6 notation; regularization of T1—08 Groups of people treatment under 346.013 Capacity and status of persons; expansions in Table 4 and the 400s for schools, theories, methodologies of linguistics; thorough updating of developments for land vehicles in transportation’s 388.34 Vehicles and engineering’s 629.22 Types of vehicles; and updates in the 900s to untangle the new archaeology developments from historical periods for several regions.

Two areas in which EPC has considered proposals over the course of multiple meetings—weapons and angiosperms—were also represented at Meeting 137. The next step for weapons will be a completely worked out proposal for EPC review and approval. The next step for angiosperms is also a fully developed proposal; here we are proposing to adopt a new taxonomic basis. Expect to hear more about both of these areas.

The committee considered discussion papers on the law of indigenous peoples, medieval European law, and Native American topics, all of which will return to EPC as full-blown proposals.

The committee had a wide-ranging discussion on Dewey’s value as an international standard for knowledge organization; as such, it can be leveraged into a variety of products, not only for classification, but also for knowledge discovery. The meeting also included presentations on a new website for the Dewey Section at the Library of Congress (coming soon to a screen near you!—we’ll keep you posted on its availability), Fiction Finder, topic enhancement of the DDC, and synonym management in the Relative Index.

One follow-up electronic meeting has been scheduled for September 2014. Meeting 137A will consider updated exhibits on the possibility of base numbers in add instructions ending in 0, computer science updates, digital collections, local church, 21st century art styles, winter sports, and the treatment and display of numbers for comprehensive and interdisciplinary works. The next face-to-face meeting of EPC—Meeting 138—will again be held at OCLC headquarters in Dublin, Ohio, and is presently scheduled for 8-9 June 2015.

December 2016

OCLC

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